The Man who Never was

മീരാസാധു | Meerasadhu by K.R. Meera My rating: 4 of 5 stars Tulasi is a middle aged woman, who in the present of the story, is residing in Madhura, in Vrindavan, as a Meera Sadhu, a female ascetic who is the bride of Lord Krishna. Living in squalor, and with no possessions or attachments, she is someone who nonetheless harbors an intense hatred in her heart; with unhealthy doses of resentment, self loathing, guilt and anger against this cruel world. What happened to her? She was not like this in the past. Then, younger, an Academician, Tulasi was a gifted student of a National university, with a future as bright as the sun ahead of her. That is, until she met Madhav, her soon to be lover, husband, father of her children, and destroyer of lives. Quite a piece of work, Madhav, as they got closer, had boasted of the dozen or so women with whom he had a relationship with in the past, all of whom were madly in love with him. For Madhav, like his namesake

Pygmalion et la vierge d'ivoire by Serge Le Tendre My rating: 3 of 5 stars Pygmalion & the Ivory Virgin, is a graphical retelling of that old & quite well known Greek classic, which then inspired the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, as well as the theatrical movie 'My fair lady'. If one would recall, the original premise of the story was that of the sculptor Pygmalion, who in search of the perfect woman, crafted her into an ivory statue, then becoming obsessed over her. Moved by her devotion. the Goddess Aphrodite invoked her blessing, breathing life into stone, and bringing to life Galatea, with whom Pygmalion lived happily ever after. This retelling, as scripted by Serge Le Tendre, and penciled by Frederic Peynet, attempts to flesh out the backstory of the titular character, while adding new ones who explain his motivations and personality. ____________________________________________________________ SYNOPSIS (Skip for Spo

Shadow Knight by Aaron Dembski-Bowden My rating: 4 of 5 stars Shadow Knight serves as a prologue to the characters Talos, Cyrion, Uzas, Xarl; who comprise the 1st Claw of the 10th company of the traitor legion of Night Lords. Beginning with the memories of a young Talos, who through various cruel and difficult trials and tribulations is essentially indoctrinated into becoming an adeptus astartes marine of the Night Lords. This is framed in such a way which makes us question the Non existent moral vein of the imperium of man who essentially creates superhuman soldiers from orphans and mentally disturbed young children. And then sends them out to kill and die in name of a cultivated and flawed cult like ideology. It reminded me of the same themes explored in regards to the Spartan II program in the Halo series. Rather than going in details, the story is mostly a glimpse into a typical mission the Night Lords are engaged in. Also explored briefly are th

Armorclads by JJ O'Connor My rating: 3 of 5 stars The reason that I decided to pickup Armorclads was partly due to the Blurb; but for the most part it was the cover that caught my eye. Which shared an uncanny similarity to a bastardized Imperial Fist-Terran marine power armor, with sprinklings of Mecha. I was not mistaken. Taking place in the distant space faring future, the lore of Armorclads was a mish mash between Warhammer 40k Halo, Dune, Isaac Asimov's Foundation (surprisingly) and a faint hint of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Now, it may be that I'm not the target audience for such a story and hence it didn't really connect with me. Especially the first half, which is filled with a truckload of exposition, which is TOLD and not Shown, as is the cardinal sin in story telling. Good world building, at least in my opinion, should be done by introducing us to the daily personal life and struggles of the characters, and

Asterix and the Actress by Albert Uderzo My rating: 4 of 5 stars It's a very happy birthday to Asterix & Obelisk, our dynamic duo have apparently been joined at the hip, being born on the same day. The whole village have come together to celebrate this joyous. (Not that the Gauls need any special reason to hold a banquet). We have some surprise guests for the birthday boys. Asterix's mother Sarsaparilla & Obelix's mother Vanilla have come to visit them. With their fathers Astronomix & Obeliscoidix on the way. They've come bearing gifts. A jeweled golden roman sword for Asterix & a Gold gelded roman helmet for Obelix. Alas, amidst all celebrities, trouble brews. The presents that their mothers brought for them, belong to the Roman General Pompeii who had arrived to raise an army to usurp Caesar. Hence Pompeii and his forces are scrambling to find the very distinctive items, before its presence alert Caesar to their mach

B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs 1 by Mike Mignola My rating: 4 of 5 stars BPRD: Plague of frogs, is an anthology of tales, set in the Hellboy universe, focusing on his team, and how they function when he is away on a long sabbatical. The team, composed of Hellboy’s second in command, Abraham Sapien the Icthyo- Humanoid, Liz Sherman the troubled pyrokinetic, The Homunculus Roger, Johann Kraus the deceased ectoplasmic psychic medium. Joining them are the non enhanced human agents of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, as they track paranormal phenomena across the globe with the aim of investigation, containment and as need arises, neutralization. Plague of Frogs was my first foray in the world of Hellboy comics, having been acquainted with the character and universe thanks to Guillermo Del Toro's engaging yet haunting duology of movies starring Ron Pearlman, which even after 15 years or so, still stay fresh. It was a travesty that we never got the intended

Asterix and Obelix All at Sea by Albert Uderzo My rating: 3 of 5 stars I've noticed a dip in quality, be it regarding the biting humor, satire or puns in the past few Asterix stories, glaring as it was in Asterix and the Secret Weapon . As before, the story lacks a clear direction, mixing and matching elements such as a slave revolt aboard Caesar's ship with the discovery of the mythical Atlantis. These elements just don't seem to mesh well. Taken separately, 'Asterix & the slave revolt' & 'Asterix in Atlantis' could have been great standalone stories in its own right. Especially when you consider how topically the mythical island is described in the story. It lacked the satirical core, which made the initial Asterix stories entertaining. Anyway, onwards to the plot. There is a slave revolt aboard Caesar's flagship; The Greek Spartakis, has freed a band of multiethnic slaves and are currently fleeing from the

മുല്ലപ്പൂ നിറമുള്ള പകലുകൾ | Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal by Benyamin My rating: 3 of 5 stars മുല്ലപ്പൂ നിറമുള്ള പകലുകൾ (Jasmine colored days) by writer-journalist Benyamin, a twin novel to his own work അല്‍-അറേബ്യന്‍ നോവല്‍ ഫാക്ടറി Al-Arabian Novel Factory invokes much the same feelings in me. That of excitement over the geopolitical conflicts presented via fictionalized accounts and pseudonyms. A narrative which promises much reveals and depths into the life under and inner workings of a totalitarian regime. But much in the same way, in its third act, just as things start to get tense, they fizzle into nothing, or wrap up without much preamble. Denying you the intellectual release garnered from a satisfying conclusion. Which is sad, considering the themes which are explored across the length and breadth of the work. This story focuses on the life of Samira Parwin, the author of the fictional manuscript titled 'Waiting for spring', which ki

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Synopsis Sometime in the near future, in these nations of America, there is a mysterious region, a piece of land formerly composed of town steads, forest and coastal regions which has been cut off from the rest of the world. For several decades now, this region, designated as Area X, has been the center of a coterie of supernatural, otherworldly and unexplained phenomenon. Whatever remained of human civilization within Area X, had been taken over by nature. Now, flora and fauna which goes against the established laws of earthen biology roam that land, and even the forces of nature seem to behave in a bizarre manner. As time passed, slowly but surely, Area X has expanded its domain, encroaching more and more into the land. For purpose of monitoring and investigating the region, the Southern Reach a clandestine government agency had been established. The reach had sent out countless expeditions

Asterix and the Magic Carpet by Albert Uderzo My rating: 4 of 5 stars After the events of Asterix and Son , the Gaelic village in Armorica, once burnt down was rebuilt in all its homeliness and insanity. With no immediate Roman threat on the horizon the Gauls are busy with rough housing each other and generally enjoying life. The only dampener, is Cacophanix, who has learnt a few new verses, and somehow has even made the heavens angry. For every time he sings, it is followed by a great downpour. Amidst this revelry, a new visit drops in. As in literally drops in from the sky. Watziznehm (Sweet pun alert), is a fakir from the far away eastern subcontinent on the bank of the river Ganges. Who has flown all across the ancient lands on top of his trusty magic carpet. His land is suffering from a great drought, the people are suffering. And there are those who would use this catastrophe for their own advantage. Guru, the religious leader of the land,

Asterix and Son by Albert Uderzo My rating: 4 of 5 stars One fine morning, while Asterix was educating the not so gentle Giant of where children come from, and dissuading his belief in the storks, they emanated a distinct cry from outside. Lo & Behold, what else was left in front of Asterix's door, but a newborn babe, as if delivered by the aforementioned stork. As the whole village, or rather the women folk of the village begin pointing suspicious at the Bachelor and his gallivanting way, Asterix himself is livid, in righteous indignation at this unfound accusations. He vows to clear his good name of this accusation. But seeing as how paternity tests were not yet a thing, the duo set out to ascertain the truth of the child's parentage. Much to the displeasure of the Romans stationed nearby. Several hijinks, some plotting by a now serious Brutus, a magic potion powered toddler, and a legion of battered romans later, the paternity & ma